Author: George Thomas, Jr.

The following message was shared with UW leaders and the HR Community of Practice on March 8, 2024.

UWHR is excited to announce a key development in our efforts to enhance staff recruitment at the University of Washington. We have received the green light to begin implementing Workday Recruiting from the Workday Executive Sponsors Group, which includes representation from Finance, Planning and Budgeting, Academic Personnel, Research, UW-IT and UW Medicine.

Workday Recruiting will replace UWHIRES. It is a fully integrated module of Workday, which will improve security, the user experience and data analytics capabilities.

I know many HR professionals and managers have been looking forward to this change and I would like to highlight features of our implementation strategy. We have chosen an iterative methodology known as “Implement, Adapt and Evolve” which is common in the tech sector, but new for UW.

Implement: To optimize the implementation timeline, the initial launch will enable the essential features of the Workday Recruiting module. With this strategy we anticipate implementing Workday Recruiting in summer 2025, after approximately 9 months of system design, configuration, and testing that will begin in October2024. While technical implementation is several months away, UWHR has already begun analyzing our current recruitment practices and planning for change management.

Adapt: Post-launch, we will move into a 9 month Adapt phase where the emphasis is placed on the refinement and enhancement of the live recruitment module. During this time, we will use feedback and data to drive an iterative enhancement process and introduce more sophisticated features.

Evolve: After the implement and adapt phases, we will continue to monitor our community’s needs and workforce data to refine our use of Workday Recruiting. This approach incorporates our dedication to being cost-effective, adaptable, user-focused and committed to continuous improvement, evolving with our organizational needs and workforce changes.

As this project progresses, we will keep you informed through the HR Community of Practice where you can expect to hear more about the implementation methodology, Workday Recruiting features, change management support, project timeline and more.

For those of you still managing changes associated with Workday Finance, please know that we understand the impact of changes to the business processes and systems you rely on to do your job. While learning a new tool will take time and effort, the implement, adapt and evolve approach is designed to minimize pre-launch changes to our hiring workflows while anticipating ongoing refinements. Your support and commitment are vital as we move towards a modern and integrated approach for staff recruiting, and we’re committed to listening to your concerns to inform the Workday Recruiting change management effort.

Effective March 1, 2024, the process for submitting and monitoring background checks for students, volunteers, and contractors has changed. This change was previewed during the February 8^th HR Community of Practice (slides available in the  CoP Teams site).

Beginning March 1, 2024, departments will use the Student and Volunteer Background Check Tool to initiate and track the progress of checks for students, volunteers, and contractors. New background check requests made by email after the tool’s launch will be returned with instructions for resubmitting online.

Hiring Managers who have requested background checks for these populations in the last eighteen months have received instructions for using the new tool. These Hiring Managers will have access to the new tool when it launches, and departments can add or remove requestors for their units by emailing ttmchbc@uw.edu.

A link to the tool and instructions for using it will be available on UWHR’s Background checks: Process website on March 1^st.

We appreciate your continued partnership and support as we improve this process. You may contact Kathleen Farrell (farrell7@uw.edu) if you have any questions or concerns.

Due to Sterling Check’s acquisition of A-Check America, UW’s background check vendor, there will be certain changes to background check business processes that will take effect this spring.

In March, Sterling will retire the A-Check brand and migrate UW’s services to Sterling’s business platforms. We believe the changes below, enabled by Sterling’s service model, will create efficiencies for departmental HR and finance teams and streamline the hiring process.

• Sterling will run all prehire background checks. Currently, Campus Recruitment runs the Washington Access to Criminal History (WATCH) check and A-Check completes all other background check components. The existing process requires reconciling two invoices per hire and maintaining current billing information with both UWHR and A-Check. Having Sterling complete all background checks will eliminate redundancies and reduce both billing errors and hiring delays.
• Hiring departments will provide ProCard billing information directly and solely to Sterling. ProCard holders will also have direct access to Sterling to request invoices and receipts when needed.
• The total cost of UW’s core background check package will increase from $29.55 to $33.25 per hire. Consistent with current practices, the cost for a specific finalist may be higher if the individual’s residency history requires additional county, state and/or international reports.

Additional information about these changes will be shared in advance of these change effective dates.

Each January, the Annual Attendance Incentive Program allows UW employees whose sick time off balances exceed 480 hours as of January 1 to be compensated at 25% value for any accrued and unused sick time off accumulated during the previous calendar year. The Annual Attendance Incentive Program is ONLY available during the month of January and is promoted in tomorrow’s UW Insider e-newsletter with a reminder in the January 17 issue.

Medical Centers/Shared Services/ALNW/FPPS/UW Medicine Primary Care Clinics Employees: Employees must complete the [form id=”394″ site=”4″] form to be paid for unused sick time off. In order to complete the forms, users will need to look in Kronos to determine total sick time off usage in 2023.

Employees should return their forms to the appropriate HR office (not to Payroll) with enough time allowed for processing. Final processing is done by the Medical Centers Payroll Services Office who must receive the employee’s completed form no later than 5 p.m. on Wednesday, January 31, 2024.

Campus Employees: Follow the instructions in the Annual Attendance Incentive Program (AAIP) user guide to complete and submit the request in Workday.

Requests in Workday must be completed by 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 31, 2024.

How is this calculation made?

Example: An employee with 480 hours of sick time off balance at the end of 2023 does not use 96 hours of sick time off in 2022. This results in a 2023 year-end sick time off balance of 576 hours (480 + 96). In January 2024, the employee requests payment for all unused sick time off accrued in 2023 and is paid for 96 hours of sick time off at 25% of the hourly equivalent of the employee’s pay rate. All 96 hours are then subtracted from the employee’s sick time off balance, reducing the balance to 480 hours as of December 31, 2023.

Employees nearing retirement may want to consider the Voluntary Employee Beneficiary Association (VEBA), which provides a tax-free medical expense account funded by a 25% sick leave cash-out at retirement. Learn more about VEBA.

If you have questions or need additional assistance, please contact the Integrated Service Center.

Effective January 1, 2024, the UW’s minimum wage will increase from $18.69 per hour to $19.97 per hour following the City of Seattle minimum wage. This change applies to all positions on the Seattle, Bothell and Tacoma campuses except for student assistants in Tacoma.

Read more:
https://hr.uw.edu/comp/2023/10/16/january-1-2024-minimum-wage-increase/

 

In ongoing effort to build an even more inclusive working environment, the UWHR are jointly piloting functionality that will translate most content on the UWHR websites into eleven of the most common languages spoken by our employees:

• Amharic
• Chinese (Simplified)
• Filipino
• Hmong
• Japanese
• Khmer
• Korean
• Lao
• Spanish
• Thai
• Vietnamese

Though we know many of our UW employees speak Tigrinya, Tigrinya translation is not currently available; we are hopeful this language will become available soon.

Employees can select their preferred language by using the new “Select Language” drop-down menu found at the upper right side of the screen on UWHR’s website (https://hr.uw.edu/).

We hope these language translations help make essential information and important how-to guidance easier to understand and more accessible to all and that our employees find these translations useful.

Please be aware that, as translations are done by machine, they may not always be perfect; because of this we can only verify the validity and accuracy of the information provided in English and, therefore, the English version of the website is the official text. The translation option is also limited to the main UWHR sites. Web pages that are linked from our sites, like to Workday, Hire Wizard, UWHIRES job descriptions, POD course descriptions and pdf forms, remain English-only.

Please let us know if you notice a significant mistranslation at uwhrnews@uw.edu. In your email, please describe what is mistranslated, the URL and the language you are using to view the website.

Last updated: June 8, 2022

The Temporary Staff Helper (TSH) hourly-paid job profile (job code 11863) will be abolished effective July 1, 2022 in preparation of new state rules driven by changes in Washington State law.

Beginning January 1, 2022, instead of using TSH for hard-to-classify hourly work that does not meet a pro staff civil service exemption, departments will need to use an existing classified staff hourly job profile or professional staff hourly limited term appointment (job code 11850). To use the professional staff hourly limited term appointment (job code 11850), the work must fall under one of the professional staff civil service exemptions.

If you have an existing employee in a TSH job profile working through 2022, you have until June 30, 2022 before they must be moved into a different, existing job profile.

Earlier this year the HR Compensation Office reached out to departments heavily using TSH positions to help them find alternative job profiles for the work that will no longer able to be classified as TSH. These new job profiles became effective May 16, 2022 and were added to the classified job profile list at that time.

Starting January 1, 2022, no new Temp Staff Helper positions will be created.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Will existing TSH positions with end dates in 2022 be allowed to continue?
A: Yes, but they may continue no later than 6/30/22. HR Compensation and HR Employment will work with departments to find other hourly paid job codes to properly classify the work formerly paid through TSH. To avoid a last-minute rush, we strongly encourage departments to find alternative job profiles for work as soon as possible.

Q: Will existing TSH positions for which other job codes have not been found be allowed to continue past 6/30/22?
A. No. Any TSH positions still active as of 7/1/22 will be ended and the employees in them will be terminated from their TSH positions at that time. We strongly encourage departments to work with central HR Compensation and HR Employment to find other, appropriate job codes for people in TSH before 7/1/22, and sooner if possible.

Q: What new classifications for hourlies are being created January 1, 2022?
A:  For general use: Art Model, Event Attendant/Usher, Accompanist, First Aid Attendant, Band Instrument Repair Technician and Interpreter/Translator; and for Intercollegiate Athletics (ICA) use only: Boat Assistant and Boat Operator. These are expected to be available for use by June 23, 2022.

Q: What is the process for transitioning an employee in a TSH position into a different job profile?
A: Follow these steps to move an employee in a TSH position into a different job profile:

1. If you are unsure which job profile the position should move to, provide HR Compensation with a job description. HR Compensation will determine if the job duties meet the criteria for a professional staff or classified position and identify which job profile is appropriate for the work.
2. Once there is a determination, follow the standard recruitment process to create a position. A competitive recruitment is not required for temporary positions.

Q: What is the impact of upcoming changes to the temporary employment program on the determination of whether to move the employee into a classified position?
A: Prior to July 1, if the position is determined to be classified the employee will be hired into a temporary hourly position. As we prepare to utilize nonpermanent classified job profiles on August 1st (or later, depending on contract negotiations), UWHR will communicate about the process to convert employees from temporary hourly positions into nonpermanent positions.

If you have a question about a specific TSH position, please contact your HR Compensation Consultant or email uwhrcomp@uw.edu or medcomp@uw.edu for positions in the medical centers.

Help ensure that your unit is prepared for the possibility of severe weather or other events that could disrupt transportation locally, or require the University to temporarily suspend non-essential operations.

Review the following information and be prepared to help your employees understand leave use and compensation practices during severe weather or when the UW temporarily suspends non-essential operations.

UW Inclement Weather Policy applies when the University is in operation, but an individual employee requests time off because local weather conditions cause transportation problems or hazardous conditions.

UW Suspended Operations Policy applies when University officials temporarily suspend non-essential operations, requiring only staff performing essential functions to report to work.

Administrative Policy Statement 40.2 describes each unit’s responsibility for determining whether its employees perform an essential function, and for notifying those who do of their responsibilities for reporting to work during suspended operations. Please review your unit’s designation of positions that perform essential functions and make sure they are accurate.

If employees do not normally telework, but might do so during inclement weather or suspended operations, anticipate and discuss typical work that employees would need to accomplish.

Decisions to suspend non-essential operations on the Seattle, Bothell, or Tacoma campuses are made independently based on the prevailing conditions in their respective locations. If operations are suspended mid-day (between 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.), your department’s designated emergency contact (usually a dean or vice president) is responsible for disseminating the information. Employees may also call the UW’s toll-free emergency information line at 1-866-897-4636 or visit the UW homepage for suspended operations information.

If you have questions about HR practices during suspended operations and inclement weather, please contact your unit’s Human Resources Consultant. If you have questions about or need assistance with business continuity planning, please contact UW Emergency Management.

Managers can review which employees in their Sup Org hold “essential positions” and quickly prioritize who to contact in case of suspended operations by running the R0023 Emergency Contacts by Organization report in Workday (to find the report, type R0023 into the search box in Workday). In addition, non-essential employees can review the Suspended Operations webpage for guidance on how to record time when operations are suspended.